On Jun 26, 8:14*am, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 6/26/2009 2:07 AM, Pete L wrote:

We live in Margate, UK. About 2 mins walk from the sea so get very few
frosts. We have a bottle brush in a pot and is about 18 ins high. My
question - when the red 'brush' dies down on a branch there is further
growth of leaves above. Should these leaves be cut off or will a new
brush appear?

I had bottle brush in my previous home. *This was Calleistemon citrinus
(also known as C. lanceolatus), not a species of Melaleuca. *After
flowering, a branch would indeed grow longer. *In a later season, that
branch would flower again. *Since the seeds will remain attached to the
branch for a long time, I would occasionally have several bands of seeds
along the same branch.

So is that "bad" or "good"?

On the other hand, if you cut the branch (even just the tip), the plant
will become more bushy.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: *California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

David, as you know, I'm also in SoCal, but coastal, so milder than
your mini-climate. My bottle brush has gone ape; sprawling at the
corner of the house. Few weeks ago, I cut off low-lying branches to
give the plant a bit of a trunk and make it look neater. What will
be the long-range results?

TIA

Persephone